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Those ribs look perfect - good job. You're now officially an "egghead".

______________________________________________This is my signature line just so you're not confused.Large and Medium BGE, Kamado Joe Jr., smoker with a 5k btu AC, gas grill, fire pit, pack of angry cats, two turntables and a microphone, my friend.New Orleans, LA - we know how to eat

If you're not experienced with smoking you should try different woods until you find your favorites. I really like apple wood for pork. You will begin to notice subtle differences as you do more smokes.

Will do. Thought I'd start with hickory and experiment from there. For my first ever smoke I was quite pleased. I'm still unsure if chips or chunks are the way to go, but I'm looking forward to the experiments!
Josh

chips, chunks, pellets, sawdust - they all work for smoke. No need to soak.

______________________________________________This is my signature line just so you're not confused.Large and Medium BGE, Kamado Joe Jr., smoker with a 5k btu AC, gas grill, fire pit, pack of angry cats, two turntables and a microphone, my friend.New Orleans, LA - we know how to eat

Yes I read that. Used chunks and didn't soak. Was worried about over smoking though.
As I went through the process though... I did wonder what difference, if any, it made closing the top vent vs the bottom. I kept them pretty much equal to get the desired temp, but am curious if other members leave one or the other more open/closed depending on the situation.
Josh

Air goes in the vent on the bottom and effluent out the daisy wheel on the top. You only need one or the other to control the temp. They'll both influence each other and if you have gusty wind, if they're both about where the other would be if it were controlling the temp, you get a little more stability. That said, for low and slows, you can leave the daisy wheel open on the ovals and use the damper to regulate. Or vice versa. Just try one or the other, make gross adjustments to the other if you can't hit your setpoint.

______________________________________________This is my signature line just so you're not confused.Large and Medium BGE, Kamado Joe Jr., smoker with a 5k btu AC, gas grill, fire pit, pack of angry cats, two turntables and a microphone, my friend.New Orleans, LA - we know how to eat

With regard to temperature control, the BGE is air-flow controlled (as long as there is fuel). Doesn't matter the quantity of lump in the BGE, the air-flow determines the cook temperature (low temp= low flow=small fire etc). So between the bottom vent and DFMT you set the intake and exhaust. Some will run at higher cook temps (350*F+) with the DFMT completely off-others bottom wide-open and control with the DFMT. Bottom line-work with the BGE and get comfortable with controlling temps using any combination of both. I use the lower vent for bigger adjustments-DFMT for smaller.

Wherever you land-don't get caught up in chasing temperatures, especially on low&slows. The response time (feedback) for any adjustments is measured on the dome thermo and it can take a while to stablilze. Enjoy the journey!

Yes I read that. Used chunks and didn't soak. Was worried about over smoking though. As I went through the process though... I did wonder what difference, if any, it made closing the top vent vs the bottom. I kept them pretty much equal to get the desired temp, but am curious if other members leave one or the other more open/closed depending on the situation. Josh

Yes I read that. Used chunks and didn't soak. Was worried about over smoking though. As I went through the process though... I did wonder what difference, if any, it made closing the top vent vs the bottom. I kept them pretty much equal to get the desired temp, but am curious if other members leave one or the other more open/closed depending on the situation. Josh

With regard to temperature control, the BGE is air-flow controlled (as long as there is fuel). Doesn't matter the quantity of lump in the BGE, the air-flow determines the cook temperature (low temp= low flow=small fire etc). So between the bottom vent and DFMT you set the intake and exhaust. Some will run at higher cook temps (350*F+) with the DFMT completely off-others bottom wide-open and control with the DFMT. Bottom line-work with the BGE and get comfortable with controlling temps using any combination of both. I use the lower vent for bigger adjustments-DFMT for smaller.

Wherever you land-don't get caught up in chasing temperatures, especially on low&slows. The response time (feedback) for any adjustments is measured on the dome thermo and it can take a while to stablilze. Enjoy the journey!

Also, I completely agree with Lou about temp control. Chasing temps will drive you crazy and isn't necessary. One of the most awesome BGE attributes is its forgiveness: 10-20 degrees usually isn't outcome determinative.

Again, great first cook. Keep on plugging and use the forum to learn more- especially from the vets. They're a great resource and have taught me a bunch (except @travisstrick, he's turrible ).